IELTS Speaking for Success - 🚯 Environmental protection and conservation (Part 3) + Transcript

Episode Date: June 5, 2026

Get access to our episode archive: https://www.patreon.com/ieltssfs Rory thinks rewards encourage people, but Maria argues for punishment! Listen to hear them debate the best ways to tackle tough issues, from recycling and city parks to high-level government policy. Tune in and have a great day! - Book a class with Rory here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://successwithielts.com/rory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our course on Phrasal Verbs: https://successwithielts.com/podcourses Transcript: https://successwithielts.com/ Find an IELTS Speaking Partner: https://links.successwithielts.com/ieltspartner Our social media: https://linktr.ee/successwithielts © 2025 Podcourses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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free of charge. BetMGEMG emigem operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Hello, hello, dear listener and welcome into ILD Speaking Part 3. We are discussing the natural world, the environment. Yeah, the ideas and vocabulary could be useful for your essays as well. Okay? So we are killing two birds with one stone. Essays and speaking part 3.

What can people do to protect the natural world? Well, I suppose at least practically we could definitely afford to recycle more and use a lot less plastic, which would keep the environment clear for our animals and use up fewer resources. It might not be possible everywhere, but something we could do in this country is use taxpayer money to fund the conservation of areas under threat and maybe help the ecology their cope with various issues. Is it important to teach students environmental protection at school? Well, it certainly seems so, since these days, we can see and hear a lot of bad news related to the environment

and educating pupils about these issues could help them grasp how to resolve them more effectively. The only alternative might be asking parents to do it, and that's highly unlikely, since they're often so busy with their own work. Is it easy for children in cities to get close to the natural world? Generally, no, because cities have a lot of traffic, or at least traffic congestion. And the country is far away from them.

So it's not an easy place to reach, despite being all around the urbanised areas of the country. Of course, we have zoos and things like parks nearby, but it's nothing like being out in the wild. What laws about the environment are effective in your country? Unfortunately, I honestly don't think they're that effective in general, since we seem to have a lot of problems in that area at the moment. and these statutes have been around for a long time

without having any obvious positive effect or impact on the situation. If they'd been better formulated, I doubt there would be, well, anything like that posing a problem. Which do you think people prefer rewards or punishment when it comes to government intervention in environmental protection? Well, from a psychological perspective, it certainly seems people would respond better to being rewarded, since it's much more pleasant compared to being punished. And it seems much more encouraging and positive.

And maybe it sends a better message to the public at large. Punitive measures tend to engender panic and pessimism by contrast, and nobody wants that, do they? What technological innovations could the world develop to protect the environment? I don't know. It's tempting to talk about things like alternative energy, but we don't have a very good track record on that front because the creation of solar panels

actually destroys the locations where rare earth minerals which are used to create them are located. So that's not great. I don't really think there is a technological solution. I think people will just have to get used to the idea of consuming less and living in a way that's more in balance with the natural world. But that's not a technological thing.

That's a psychological hurdle that we need to overcome. As you know, we now release all of our premium content for free, and it's available for one month. After one month, it goes into our super secret archive. To sign up for the archive, click the link in the description below. See you soon. So, dear listener, we protect the natural world, the environment or the natural world. So we could afford to recycle more, so people. People could recycle more, or people should recycle more.

Use less plastic. People should use less plastic. This would keep the environment clear for animals. People should use up fewer resources. And we could use taxpayer money to fund the conservation of areas under threat. So use taxpayer money. So use taxpayer money. So you pay taxes and we could use this money to fund, to invest in, to give money to

conservation of areas, the conservation of areas, like saving these areas. Conservation, the protection of plants, animals, natural areas. For example, these forests, what do you call them? It's not arboreal forests. All right, I thought you were talking about arboreal forests there, and I was thinking, how am I going to explain what that is? So just say rainforests. Yes. Well, arboreal forests and rainforests are different things.

So just say rainforests. Students should be taught how to protect the environment at school, or they should not be taught. Do you listen to what's your opinion? or we should educate students how to protect the environment, teach them, educate them, teach them to grasp how to help the environment. Like, grasp means understand. Understand something, especially if it's difficult. Like grasp the main points of the lecture.

Grasp how to write an essay and, in this context, it's C1, 8.5. It is. Oh, amazing. So education could help students to grasp how to help resolve environmental issues. Resolve or solve. Solve issues, solve problems or resolve. Problems, resolve issues.

Alternatively, or the only alternative, might be asking parents to do it. So not at school, but parents could also. do it. A very nice question. Like, should children get close to the natural world? I mean, it means like, should we let children into the forests in cities or just let them out into the park, you know, like run wildly, like, ah, like crazy. Can you imagine? Well, we do that in this country. Oh, seriously? Like, you take children to parks, but it's just dangerous. They could just... It's not dangerous. Don't be ridiculous. Yeah, but the child can climb a tree, can fall over into a lake.

Can I don't know destroy half of the park? Nope. They won't destroy half of the park. No, but if like a child hurts themselves, that's really bad. Well, yes, but that could also happen in school, so they're probably going to hurt themselves one way or the other. Cities have a lot of traffic or a lot of traffic congestion, dear listener. So just don't say cities have a lot of traffic. It's too simple.

Cities have a lot of traffic congestion. blocked roads Congested roads Like roads full of traffic jams Cities have a lot of busy roads A lot of congested roads Or traffic congestion And it's not easy to find a place

With greenery in urbanized areas Urban areas City areas or urbanized areas There are zoos and parks They help, but it's nothing like being out in the wild. In the wild. In nature. Yeah, in real nature.

So in the city, it's not really possible to be out in the wild. Wild and uncontrolled. Laws about the environment could be effective. And dear listener, do you know any laws about the environment in your country? I know we mustn't light fires in parks. Hmm, that's a rule, that's kind of a law. You can say I don't think, I honestly don't think they're effective. So we do have some laws, but I don't think they're effective.

They're not, unfortunately. Otherwise, we wouldn't have all these problems. And indeed, I think I used a conditional. The 2006 Chevrolet Equinox awarded the most dependable compact SUV in the U.S. by J.D. Power. It's designed for your everyday. Available all-wheel drive, you can handle your to-do list with total confidence. Start your build at Chevrolet.ca. Details at JDPower.com.

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I doubt there would be anything like that in the world today. Yeah, Rory, you've used a mixed condition. It's very difficult. Have I? Exactly. It's a mixed condition. It's like C2. Deal is not.

Just don't bother. Don't bother with it. Okay. It's so difficult. No, no, no. No, do bother. If they'd been better formulated, I doubt there would be anything like that posing a problem now. Ooh, I didn't realize I'd done that. I just thought, oh, it's a conditional. It's insane. It's not. If the laws had been made better in the past, then now these problems would not be happening.

You can also use the second conditional. Like, if we had more effective laws, if people had to pay more fines, so that people had to pay more, they would care for the environment. There we go. Rewards or punishment. People could be rewarded, for example, be given money or punished, like pay a fine or be sent to prison for dropping litter in the street. And the question is about the government. So when government makes regulations about the government. the environment about how to recycle, rubbish, for example, light fires in parks.

So should people be rewarded or punished, which is better. And here Rory uses a technique, like perspective strategy from a psychological perspective. Like, if you think about psychology, it's this. But if you think about something else, economy or. I don't know. Finance. It's the other thing, right? So from a psychological perspective,

people respond better at being rewarded. People answer better to rewards. Respond answer. Respond better to being rewarded. Then to being punished. I think so. What do you think? That's a good question.

Are you just thinking everyone should be punished? Yeah, I think. Punishment. Yeah, because if there's no punishment, no one will do anything. Yeah, I'd go with punishment. That's true. Oh, Maria, you're so cruel. No, but it's, um, doesn't have to be cruel. Just fines, take money away from people for dropping litter in the streets, for dropping cigarette butts in the streets. Well, yes, they should probably like that. Yeah. So fines work best, I think, but they should be. like pretty high. Harsh penalties.

See, I'm much more liberal about this. I think that it's okay to encourage people rather than to punish them. Maria has a different philosophy. Penalties or punishments, right? And another synonym is punitive measures, like punishment or punitive measures. Punitive actions.

Again, like different punishments. So punitive measures tends to be less effective than rewards. Dear listener, then you can talk about drone technology. You know, we can monitor forests and wildlife with the help of drones. Like drones are the little thing that fly over the forests. Unmanned vehicles.

Unmanned aerial vehicles. So, like drones help to monitor forests. and wildlife. You know, like if a bear is lost, if a very rare bear is lost, then they can find the bear with the help of drones. And in inaccessible areas, places that you can't just go there because they're far away, we can monitor forest fires, for example, or wildlife, endangered wildlife with the help of drones. So like we should develop drone technology.

and also artificial intelligence. But for me, unfortunately, I don't think there is a technological solution. I just think there is psychological solution, or a moral solution maybe. Yeah, so even if the examiner asks you about technology, you can say, yeah, I don't think technology would help, but I think it's like we should work with people's psyche. Sweet. Thank you very much for listening, dear listener. I hope you enjoyed our environmental answers. And we'll get back to you.

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into opportunities, discover new markets, and keep our nation front and center on the global stage. The world needs more Canada. Together, let's give it to them. Visit edc.ca to learn more. What can people do to protect the natural world? Well, I suppose at least practically, we could definitely afford to recycle more and use a lot less plastic, which would keep the environment clear for our animals and use up fewer resources. It might not be possible everywhere,

but something we could do in this country is use taxpayer money to fund the conservation of areas. under threat and maybe help the ecology their cope with various issues. Is it important to teach students environmental protection at school? Well, it certainly seems so, since these days we can see and hear a lot of bad news related to the environment and educating pupils about these issues could help them grasp how to resolve them more effectively. The only alternative might be asking parents to do it, and that's highly unlikely, since they're often so busy with their own work. Is it easy for children in cities to get close to the natural world?

Generally, no, because cities have a lot of traffic, or at least traffic congestion, and the country is far away from them, so it's not an easy place to reach, despite being all around the urbanized areas of the country. Of course, we have zoos and things like parks nearby, but it's nothing like being out in the wild. What laws about the environment are effective in your country? Unfortunately, I honestly don't think they're that effective in general, since we seem to have a lot of problems in that area at the moment.

And these statutes have been around for a long time without having any obvious positive effect or impact on the situation. If they'd been better formulated, I doubt there would be, well, anything like that posing a problem. which do you think people prefer rewards or punishment when it comes to government intervention in environmental protection? Well, from a psychological perspective, it certainly seems people would respond better to being rewarded, since it's much more pleasant compared to being punished, and it seems much more encouraging and positive, and maybe it sends a better message to the public at large,

punitive measures tend to engender panic and pessimism by crime. contrast and nobody wants that, do they? What technological innovations could the world develop to protect the environment? I don't know. It's tempting to talk about things like alternative energy, but we don't have a very good track record on that front because the creation of solar panels actually destroys the locations where rare earth minerals, which are used to create them, are located. So that's not great. I don't really think there is a technological solution. I think people will just have to get used to the idea of consuming less and living in a way that's more in balance with the natural world. But that's not

a technological thing. That's a psychological hurdle that we need to overcome.